Michael Essany was surprised when someone recognized him during a recent visit to Washington, D.C.

And he says he’d be surprised if many people remember his name, either.

But it wasn’t long ago that Essany, 25, had his own reality TV series on the E! Network. That program re-created an earlier local cable access talk show he hosted from his parents’ living room in Valparaiso while still a teen.

It was that original show — with guests ranging from actor Kevin Bacon to then-Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan seated at a faux “Late Night” set — that garnered national attention. Stories and interviews with him appeared in magazines like Time, US Weekly and People.

Essany still has hair so black it looks like he puts shoe polish on it (he doesn’t), but he has gained a few pounds and he’s now married. His current job is communications director for Indiana Grain Co., a “digital trading floor” mostly for the commodities market. The company is based in Valparaiso, where Essany grew up and still lives.

“I wanted to disappear for a while,” said Essany. “I wanted to finish college. I wanted to re-emerge and put the reality-TV thing behind me.”

He said his series on E! Network, which ran for two seasons in 2003-04, paid “six figures” each season. But he was troubled by the basic story line — earnest young TV talk show host scrambles to find guests in time for his next broadcast — that never seemed to change from show to show. His contract was not renewed for a third season.

“I didn’t want to be a former child star who would do anything to stay in front of the camera.”

He didn’t really want to be an author, either, but Essany had the idea to share his experiences. Focal Press issued his book, “Reality Check: The Business and Art of Producing Reality TV,” in October.

Essany says the industry standard definition for reality TV – “unscripted participants doing events true to life” – is laughable. “E! came in and said they didn’t want to artificially affect my life, but they did.”

They even wanted to build a set near Los Angeles that would look like his parents’ living room. Being in L.A. would mean Essany could score more big-name guests, but then it wouldn’t be the true story of a kid trying to get big-name guests to come to Valparaiso.

The new book is aimed at a niche market of readers who think they, too, might want to get involved in reality TV, especially behind the camera.

Here’s what Essany has to say about “the testimonial,” as it’s called in the trade. A reality-show cast member sits down in front of a camera and talks to a producer while viewing video that may have been shot weeks earlier.

“‘OK, what were you thinking at the time?’” the producer will ask, according to Essany. “Then the producer will say, ‘OK, but say it this way. Say it in fewer words.’ Then it will be edited down further.”

Then there’s the “Frankenbite.” “That’s when they take a quote and quote it in a completely different context, or splice together two different quotes.”

Essany is studying for his commodities-trading license and says he has no intention of getting back into reality TV. However, Indiana Grain is in talks with a major cable news channel to provide live commentary on agribusiness matters, he says, and Essany recently was interviewed by Britain’s BBC-TV for a segment to air in January.

Still, the dream dies hard: “If I had a chance to do something like an interview program, I would definitely consider that,” he said. “That’s where my heart lives and where I will always go.”

Get ‘real’ — here’s how

If you want to be on “American Idol,” just get in line with thousands of other dreamers at the next audition. But if you want to be the next Simon Fuller (creator of “American Idol”) you might read “Reality Check” first. Here are just a few tips we culled from the text.

Study the market: Essany lists hundreds of reality TV shows that actually aired somewhere, from “Canada’s Worst Driver” to “Porno Valley.” Order as many as you can on DVD, watch them, and emulate only the successful ones.

The “sell” is everything: Don’t try to sell a concept to a major network first. You must interest an independent production company first; then together you may approach a network about carrying your show.

You don’t need an agent: Lots of agents don’t get their phone calls returned, either. The fact is, Essany writes, an unknown can do as well (or as poorly) in breaking down barriers as a second-tier agent can. Work more on your concept and pitch than worrying about an agent to represent you.

Post your profile online: If you have any TV production credits (even if it’s just internships, local public television programming, educational films, whatever) post them online, especially on IMDb (the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com). Essany says producers and others in the industry actually do consult online databases and resumes.

— Abe Aamidor